<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>through the years by roccoco</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26037445">through the years</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/roccoco/pseuds/roccoco'>roccoco</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action &amp; Romance, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attempt at Humor, Canon Divergence - Sasuke didn't leave the leaf village, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Gen, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Narusasu, Pining, Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura Friendship, Uchiha Sasuke-centric, Uzumaki Naruto-centric, keyword attempt bc im not funny, so he's still part of team 7, will add more tags as the story advances</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 08:20:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,544</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26037445</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/roccoco/pseuds/roccoco</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He wished he didn’t know the nature of his feelings for Naruto, he wished he could let them all out and not have to deal with them every goddamn time the idiot smiled at him.</p><p>Or, an alternative universe were Naruto gets Sasuke to stay in Konohagakure instead of leaving with Orochimaru, and slowly but surely, a romance blossoms.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Uchiha Sasuke &amp; Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>81</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. july sensations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hey! you may know this from the other story i posted a few weeks ago, "July sensations", which i posted as a stand-alone one-shot for sasuke's birthday. anyway, if you've already read that, jump straight to chapter two! i hope you'll enjoy this story as much as im enjoying writing it :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was <em>hot</em>. Not the spring-sunny-Sunday-afternoon kind of hot, though, no — it felt as if the whole planet was suffering from a horrible fever. It made sense for the 21<sup>st</sup> of July to be fiercely warm, but this? This was way too much for Sasuke to take, especially since he was on a mission with the rest of Team 7. It was utterly and completely sultry in the Land of the Waves and yet, for some reason, he seemed to be the only one affected.</p><p>Not that the others didn’t realize that it was warm, of course. Sasuke caught a glimpse of his teammates every once in a while and they, too, were covered in thick beads of sweat. Still, the dizziness, the light-headedness produced by the oppressive moist in the atmosphere were symptoms that, as far as Sasuke could tell, only he was presenting.</p><p>“Okay guys, we’re gonna take a small break here,” said Kakashi-sensei, coming to a halt as he landed on the ground gracefully, his students following closely behind. They hadn’t reached the city yet and were crossing a forest much like Konohagakure’s.</p><p>“Hah?! Why now? The sun’s setting already!” Naruto’s loud voice echoed in Sasuke’s head, which throbbed with every word the boy spoke. “We’re so close, we could reach the city in a couple’ hours if we hurry!”</p><p>“Kakashi-sensei, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but, Naruto’s right!” Sakura added as she nodded her head enthusiastically — Sasuke noted her short pink hair had become a bushy mess thanks to the humidity of the air. “I, uh, we can keep going!”</p><p>Kakashi hummed pensively scratching his masked chin with his left hand. “I know you two can.”</p><p>“What?! You can’t be saying <em>you’re</em> tired, you’re not even <em>that</em> old!”</p><p>“Naruto,” Kakashi stopped him before he could continue ranting, “I think Sasuke here would appreciate it if you kept your voice down.”</p><p>“Whu-?”</p><p>The two genins turned towards their teammate. Sasuke looked away, his blush spreading even more with embarrassment. He shouldn’t be making the mission longer than necessary. He should be able to continue, just like the others. He was prepared to give everyone a short speech encompassing the reasons why they should go on, never mind his condition, but Kakashi got ahead of him before he even had a chance to open his mouth.</p><p>“I’ve been slowing down our rhythm significantly for the last hour to see if you’d recover, Sasuke, but at this rate we’ll end up wasting time and effort. Rest a little and we’ll continue once you feel better, end of discussion,” Kakashi said firmly, patting Sasuke on the shoulder.</p><p>“Sorry,” he muttered begrudgingly, “I didn’t mean to slow down the mission.”</p><p>“Ah, well, it’s out of your hands,” Kakashi waved it off with a sigh, “It’s not like you went out of your way to try to get a heatstroke.”</p><p>Yet neither Naruto nor Sakura had got it. Why him, then? Did he not train hard enough? Was his body unhealthy? Naruto couldn’t possibly be better than him, after all. He had gotten stronger, training with Jiraiya and all, but he was still lacking technique. So, why? Why was he smiling like an idiot while Sasuke could barely stay on his feet?</p><p>And <em>why, oh, why</em> did his stomach feel funny when he looked at him?</p><p>“Fine,” he said and sat down, leaning on a tree and closing his eyes for a moment.</p><p>But boy, did it feel good to finally get some peace of mind — and well, body too. Sasuke tried to stay awake, but after a few minutes he was out like a lamp. Images of blond hair, bright blue eyes and smiles so pure they make your heart wrench flashed through his mind. So<em> annoying</em>, Naruto wouldn’t ever leave him alone, not even in his dreams! The incessant urge to roll his eyes suddenly made him realize he’d woken up.</p><p>He <em>also</em> realized that he wasn’t leaning on the tree any longer. His head was resting on somebody’s shoulder, as far as he could sense with his eyes still closed — his eyelids were so heavy, he couldn’t bring himself to lift them. The headache was gone, at the very least, and that was good enough for now.</p><p>“Naruto?” he mumbled groggily, eyelashes fluttering open.</p><p>“Oh, Sasuke-kun! You’re awake!” he heard Sakura’s voice close to his head and felt her shift to look at him, “Naruto’s over there.”</p><p>Turning his head a little to look in the direction she was pointing, he noticed three things. Firstly, Naruto and Kakashi were asleep, or resting their eyes. Secondly, the sky was a lot darker than it had been when he fell asleep. And, last but not least, he was completely leaning on Sakura, who’d been crushing on him for forever — and while Sasuke did find Sakura tolerable after nearly two years of training with her and Naruto… well, he didn’t want to get her hopes up.</p><p>He scrambled away from as fast as he could in his half-asleep state and awkwardly looked at her to ask her what was going on. Naruto and Kakashi woke up as well, probably because of the noise, but let Sakura explain.</p><p>“Well, I was sitting next to you when you fell asleep and, your, uh, your head fell on my shoulder,” a light blush formed in the kunoichi’s cheeks, “and I noticed you were really hot — warm! I mean, you were really warm! That’s how I realized you had a really bad fever, and Kakashi suggested that we let you rest then, since that might help. And I also performed medical ninjutsu-”</p><p>“You did?” Sasuke asked, genuinely surprised, “While I was asleep?”</p><p>“Hey, hey, bastard! Are you doubting Sakura-chan’s abilities?!”</p><p>“Naruto, it’s fine-”</p><p>“No, I’m not,” Sasuke stopped the two before they could start arguing. He really didn’t doubt Sakura’s abilities. Ever since she’d started training with the Hokage, Sakura had improved a lot. “I just — I find it weird that I didn’t wake up, that’s all.”</p><p>Team 7’s communication skills and their general dynamic had improved a lot after spending so much time together. They weren’t twelve anymore, and even though they were still kids, their growth was impressive. Sasuke, who once cared only about revenge and almost left the village, was now a bit more open and, dare I say, <em>trusting</em> with his teammates. Sakura had built up an incredible inner and outer strength, and was an incredibly valuable medical nin. And Naruto…</p><p>Naruto.</p><p>Sasuke didn’t exactly know how to put his feelings for the dumbass into words.</p><p>Naruto had somehow become his best friend. Neither of them could pinpoint the exact moment where their mutual hate had become just friendly bickering with a hidden layer of <em>care</em> for the other, but if it weren’t for that, Sasuke could have ended up doing who knows what for Orochimaru. But he didn’t, and his bond with the idiot had only grown and grown and kept on growing, to the point where Sasuke wasn’t even sure that it was normal for a friendship between two boys.</p><p>And Naruto was <em>touchy</em>. A clingy person in general. They’d high-five after a good strategy during missions, and his hand would linger a little too long over Sasuke’s; he’d lean on Sasuke when he overused his <em>chakra </em>and his knees started giving out; he’d sit close, to the point where their thighs would occasionally brush against the other and their elbows would bump all the time, when they were having dinner as a team on Ichiraku; he’d put an arm over his shoulders whenever Sasuke took his side on a discussion, and many, many more things that left his hands trembling and his stomach tingling.</p><p>It was probably the heat. Yes, it had to be. What other reason could explain all these weird feelings he was getting around Naruto?</p><p>“Did I pass out for a whole hour? It’s dark,” he looked at Kakashi for confirmation.</p><p>“Well, Sasuke, you see,” Kakashi scratched the back of his neck, and Sasuke definitely did not like the tone of his voice, “It’s actually two in the morning. You were quite sick, so we decided let you rest so you could heal faster.”</p><p>His eyes widened. Two. That meant he’d been asleep for six hours, at least, making the team worry about him and wasting time when-</p><p>“It’s <em>fine</em>, Sasuke!” Naruto smiled at him, and Sasuke suddenly felt too hot again, “You’re part of Team 7 for a reason, y’know. We wouldn’t want to have to fight without you, even though I <em>could</em> do everything by myself if Kakashi-sensei let me!”</p><p>Despite everything, Sasuke smiled. “Sure you could, dumbass.”</p><p>“Hey! What was that?!”</p><p>They set off quickly after checking to see if Sasuke’s fever was really gone for good, and got to the city in the morning. They were tired of course, but they were ninjas. A good breakfast was enough to charge them with energy for the rest of the day and, fortunately, Sakura’s ninjutsu worked wonders — even if the weather was still obnoxiously tropical.</p><p>Their mission was a simple, C-rank delivery for a wealthy family that lived in a mansion on the other end of the city. The easiest, shortest path would’ve been to simply cross the town, but Kakashi argued it would be better to go around it, even if it took a few more hours. Inside the town, they would have to be constantly on guard for possible burglars that might be trying to steal the package, but if they simply stayed on the outskirts, they would be more relaxed. Or, at least, Kakashi would be relaxed, reading his terrible porn books while Sasuke and the rest of the team would had to focus on the mission.</p><p>It was a few hours into the journey that the topic Sasuke had been trying to avoid was brought to the table.</p><p>“Kakashi-sensei!” Sakura suddenly exclaimed, “What day is it today?!”</p><p>“Well, we set off yesterday which was July 21<sup>st</sup>, so today has to be the 22<sup>nd</sup>, why?”</p><p>“Sasuke-kun!” she turned towards him, frustration painted all over her features, “Tomorrow’s your birthday, isn’t it?! I’m so sorry, I forgot to get you a present!”</p><p>“You’re right,” Naruto’s mouth opened in the shape of an ‘o’, “It <em>is</em> your birthday. You bastard, why didn’t you say anything?”</p><p>Sasuke shrugged. He never really celebrated his birthday anyway, since he had no one to celebrate it with. Even though last year he had already been a part of the team, he wasn’t focused on celebrating anything in that moment. What was there to celebrate anyway? Turning fourteen? Another year of his life that he’d wasted trying avenge his clan, as if that could bring them back; almost deserting Konoha, failing the Chuunin Exams after the whole ordeal with Orochimaru…</p><p>The list could go on and on, but the point was more than clear: thirteen was definitely not Sasuke’s year.</p><p>But maybe that was the whole point of it. To leave behind the bad memories from the past, or to mark a point in which he could see that he wasn’t the person he was back then. Even if it all had happened around seven months ago, Sasuke wasn’t the same.</p><p>“It’s fine,” he told Sakura, trying his best to appear <em>friendly</em>, “I didn’t expect you to get me anything, I don’t care.”</p><p>Sakura seemed even sadder, realizing that Sasuke didn’t even consider getting presents from his teammates a likely happening on his birthday. Kakashi took this as his cue to intervene.</p><p>“It is <em>tomorrow</em>, you know,” he turned toward Sakura and Naruto, “We still have time to think of something.”</p><p>Sakura almost brightened up, but Sasuke shook his head.</p><p>“No, we’ve already wasted enough time,” he said flatly, “If you really want to do something for me, focus on the mission.”</p><p>Just like Kakashi had predicted, they didn’t encounter any burglars on the way. The sky was already getting dark when they exited the mansion after successfully handing in the package, and the four ninjas were admittedly exhausted. This time, they decided to enter the town, stopping at the cheapest hotel Kakashi could spot and getting three rooms. One for Kakashi, another one for Sakura and the last one for the two boys.</p><p>As usual, Cheap-kashi got them a room with only one, mid-sized bed.</p><p>Not that it was a problem, after so many missions with their sensei, they were used to sharing — Sasuke was used to Naruto’s loud snores and unconscious kicks; and Naruto was used to Sasuke stealing all the blankets in winter and his tendency to hold on to anything his body would find, whether that be pillows, the duvet or, occasionally and embarrassingly enough, Naruto’s arm.</p><p>But, with all these recent feelings, Sasuke wasn’t sure if sharing a room <em>and</em> a bed was the best idea. Especially since he wasn’t completely sure he wasn’t sick anymore, and his mind could get… confused.</p><p>They were getting ready for bed when Naruto asked something that made Sasuke’s heart freeze in place.</p><p>“So… you’re finally giving Sakura-chan a chance, huh?”</p><p>Naruto looked sad, the usual glint in his sky-blue eyes completely faded, but he kept a fake smile on his face.</p><p>“A chance?”</p><p>“C’mon, you were being nice, today. You’re never nice!” Naruto laughed, but it was empty, and Sasuke didn’t like that sound, “Plus, I saw you sleeping on her <em>shoulder</em>, like a <em>couple</em>.”</p><p>Sasuke swallowed, hard. He clearly didn’t get his feelings for Naruto, but if there was something he was sure of, it was the fact that he absolutely did not like girls. Boys, he wasn’t sure, especially with the way his body was reacting around his <em>very male</em> best friend; but girls? They just didn’t do it for him. He confirmed his theory once he actually started considering Sakura as someone <em>likeable</em>, but still didn’t feel anything outside friendly care for her. Yes, if there was any girl Sasuke was going to like, it was Sakura, and yet…</p><p>He didn’t.</p><p>And for a while, he thought he might just feel that way around everyone. Sure, he foud men objectively more attractive, but he didn’t feel anything bigger than that for any guy either, after all. That was, of course, until the beginning of that summer, when all of a sudden his body just started giving him signals.</p><p>He remembered, in June, when Naruto scraped his leg with a shuriken and had Sasuke patch him up; how his hands trembled and his heart sped up, how he had to pretend the blush on his cheeks was due to agitation and not infatuation. How, when they walked back from the training grounds, their hands brushed against each other and Sasuke had both the urge to hide his hand in a pocket <em>and</em> grab Naruto’s at the same time; how he was <em>so close</em> to linking their pinkies.</p><p>“I don’t like Sakura like that,” Sasuke said quietly, “We’re just teammates, so, you don’t have to worry about it.”</p><p>“Worry?! Why would I be worried?!”</p><p>For a second, Sasuke saw fear in Naruto’s eyes, though he didn’t really understand why. Everyone knew Naruto liked Sakura, seeing as he didn’t even try to hide it.</p><p>“Well, I don’t like the girl <em>you</em> like,” Sasuke reasoned, a bit confused, “So, you don’t have any ‘competition,’ I guess.”</p><p>“Oh,” Naruto sighed, “<em>Oh</em>. You think I like Sakura!”</p><p>Sasuke raised a brow, “You don’t?”</p><p>“No! Well, not anymore,” Naruto laughed, “I’m just annoying her, she knows I’m joking. I think she does, at least. I mean, she’s just my friend.”</p><p>Sasuke nodded, and couldn’t help but feel relieved. Nothing worse than a love triangle between teammates. Plus, he couldn’t deny that Naruto not liking Sakura, the very small chance that he might return Sasuke’s feelings made him feel <em>so-</em></p><p>“Sasuke!” Naruto gasped, “You’re smiling!”</p><p>“I’m not!”</p><p>“You <em>were</em>!”</p><p>“Shut up!”</p><p>He fidgeted with the hem of his shirt and kept his gaze on the floor. Now that he thought about it, Naruto not liking Sakura probably meant he’d just started crushing on someone else. Some other <em>girl</em>. Nothing Sasuke did or said would give him a chance if Naruto wasn’t even attracted to boys.</p><p>“So, if you don’t like Sakura,” Naruto said all of a sudden, bringing him out of his thoughts, “Who’s the unlucky girl?”</p><p>Sasuke sighed. It was about damn time he told someone about it. And while telling your crush you are gay might not be the safest option, Naruto was his best friend before anything else.</p><p>“I don’t…” he sat on the bed, trying to keep his voice steady and fiddling with the fabric of his shorts like it was the most interesting thing in the world, “I don’t think I… No, I know I don’t like girls.”</p><p>Naruto sat down next to him, crossing his legs. “Oh.”</p><p>“You don’t think it’s weird, do you?”</p><p>“No, I just…”</p><p>Naruto trailed off, and Sasuke could already hear all of the terrible comments that could end that sentence. <em>‘You don’t like me, right?’ ‘I’m fine with it as long as you don’t kiss any guys in front of me.’ ‘I don’t support your lifestyle, but I accept you-’</em></p><p>“Me too.”</p><p>At that, Sasuke looked up. Naruto was flustered up to the tips of his ears, and right then, Sasuke knew he’d probably never said that out loud either.</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“I mean,” Naruto added and Sasuke’s heart skipped a beat, “Not exactly. I do like girls but… uh… boys too, I guess that just doesn’t matter to me. Is that okay?”</p><p>“Yeah.” Sasuke nodded, his mouth suddenly very dry, “I mean, if it’s what you feel then, it must be right. I just don’t like girls at all.”</p><p>A small silence settled around them as they processed the new information they had just learned about the other. It was awkward, of course, but Sasuke felt genuinely happy for the first time in a while; not because there was a small chance Naruto might return his feelings now — well, not only because of that — but because he wasn’t the only boy who felt <em>like this</em>. For someone who was always so individualistic, it was strange for Sasuke to find comfort in a similarity with a <em>friend</em>, and yet he did. He attributed this to the fact that during most of his short life, Sasuke thought he was the only one who felt like this in the entire village. He remembered his father speaking about a certain cousin who had to leave the clan out of shame, and vowed to never tell his family about his sexuality, thinking he might be able to feel something for a girl someday.</p><p><em>But</em>, as horrifying as it might sound, it’s not like his family was a problem anymore.</p><p>“So,” Naruto said after a while, smiling deviously and crawling towards him until they were eye to eye, “Is there a<em> boy</em> you like?”</p><p>If his heartbeat was already fast, Sasuke noticed just how strong it had become as mere inches separated them. He looked away and changed the subject after clearing his throat.</p><p>“How, uh, how long have you known?”</p><p>Naruto looked a little disappointed, but Sasuke didn’t question that. “I guess around… six months? What about you?” Sasuke muttered his reply quietly, way too quietly. “You don’t have to say anything but if you’re going to speak, say it louder so I can hear you.”</p><p>“Five years!” he yelled, and went back to his usual flat voice, “I mean, I started questioning five years ago, because I knew I didn't like girls. And I guess I realized I <em>did</em> like guys around... a few weeks ago. But that is it. I'm not telling you anything else.”</p><p>Then, there was silence. Awkwardness. But above all, trust. Because they didn’t need to tell anyone else what happened then. Sasuke would’ve kissed Naruto right there, if he wasn’t so fucking scared of ruining this new, strange yet exciting dimension of their friendship. So, he laughed, feeling the nerves leave him, and a few seconds later, Naruto joined in.</p><p>“Oi, Sasuke, bastard,” Naruto said after calming down, wiping a tiny tear away, “What time is it?”</p><p>Sasuke checked the clock on his nightstand, forgetting the reason why Naruto was asking that.</p><p>“It’s five past twelve,” he said, and then it hit him. <em>Right.</em></p><p>But he didn’t have too much time to think about it, because Naruto had thrown himself over him with a loud cry of “Happy birthday, bastard!” and Sasuke’s mind went completely blank. Well, it was blank for a couple of seconds, until it was filled with a thousand different thoughts, all of them at the same time.</p><p>“Dumbass, shut up, you’re gonna wake up half of the hotel!” he whispered urgently, half laughing, “And get off me!”</p><p>“You know, for someone with such a constant resting bitch face,” Naruto smirked at him, still not letting go, “Your laugh is pretty nice.”</p><p>Sasuke sputtered and went even redder, making Naruto smile even wider. He put a hand over Naruto’s face and pushed him until he let go, but even then he was still laughing as he tucked himself in bed, and Sasuke was still as red as his <em>sharingan</em> whenever it was activated.</p><p>“Shut the fuck up, will you?”</p><p>“Ah, there's the Sasuke we know and love!”</p><p>And if Sasuke’s heart did a little jump at the last word spoken by Naruto, that’s between his heart and himself.</p><p>The next morning, unsurprisingly enough, he woke up clinging to his best friend’s arm while suffocating under all the blankets that he’d stolen overnight despite the hot weather. Thankfully, Naruto was still asleep and Sasuke was able to panic without needing to pretend to be calm. After failing at waking up Naruto <em>twice</em> (the guy was such a heavy sleeper), he headed for the bathroom. Realization hit him as he stared at himself in the mirror, right when he stepped out of the shower.</p><p>There was no turning back now that he’d said it. He had successfully come out to his best friend, to the guy he had been crushing on for months. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad birthday. Maybe there was something he could celebrate, after all.</p><p>He couldn’t hide the small smile that painted his features when he went down for breakfast and the team was already waiting for him with a small birthday cake. They sang him the happy birthday song and he blew out the candles with a fake begrudging frown. Sakura hugged him and kissed his cheek (which he didn’t particularly <em>enjoy</em>, but the look on Naruto’s face was worth it), Kakashi ruffled his hair, and Naruto just gave him a knowing smile before they set off for the village.</p><p><em>No,</em> Sasuke thought, the suffocating heat he’d felt before completely forgotten, <em>it wasn’t a bad birthday at all.</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. like a friend</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Not much changed after the boys came out to each other. They still went on missions, trained together and were occasionally treated to ramen or some other type of dinner by their teacher. Still, there was an implicit pact of secrecy between them; that neither would tell someone else about it. There wasn’t really someone they could tell, other than, perhaps, Sakura, and even so they knew they wouldn’t, at least <em>for now</em>.</p><p>It was nice, sharing a secret with Sasuke, Naruto thought. Other than missions and group activities, they didn’t really share that much. Of course, they spent a lot of time together, but it was always on the pretext that they <em>had to</em>, not that they wanted to. They didn’t hang out, they didn’t talk — sometimes, they sparred, but again, that was still on professional rather than friendly premises.</p><p>That’s why he was surprised once he came out of his train of thought and noticed Sasuke was walking next to him. It was a sunny Friday afternoon, and they had finished their mission of the day — a simple D-rank, catching an ordinary burglar on the outskirts of the village — so, naturally, Naruto was going home.</p><p>Sasuke must have noticed his stare, so he shrugged and gave a quick sigh.</p><p>“It’s four in the afternoon, I thought we’d spar?”</p><p><em>Right</em>. Naruto sighed. Usually, he’d be up for any kind of training, especially if it gave him the chance to fight against the bastard, but they had run way too many kilometers since that morning and all he wanted — as out of character as it might seem — was to take a shower, have his daily cup of instant ramen and sleep. And yet…</p><p>“You can say you wanna hang out, y’know?” he chuckled at Sasuke’s immediate scoff, “Come to my place, we’ll play some videogames.”</p><p>Sasuke arched a brow and rolled his eyes, “Where’s the fun in that?”</p><p>Luckily, Naruto knew Sasuke well enough to come up with what he would call a <em>brilliant</em> bait, one Sasuke was sure to take.</p><p>“What? Scared you can’t beat me?”</p><p>“It’s on, dumbass.”</p><p>That evening, Naruto discovered just how bad at gaming Sasuke was. He blamed it on inexperience rather than incompetence — and Naruto would’ve argued if not for the fact that, as always, Sasuke’s precocious nature started showing in small but relevant changes in his technique, which led him from being terrible to not half-bad scarily quickly. Normally, Naruto would’ve been just a tiny bit envious, but he wasn’t going to give Sasuke the satisfaction, not after the <em>utterly humiliating</em> 47 rounds the Uchiha lost.</p><p>Now Naruto was truly exhausted, way more than he’d been three hours ago. They were sprawled out on the couch, panting from their last virtual fight, the faint light coming from the TV set creating a greenish blue hue on Sasuke’s facial features. Naruto couldn’t lie (not to himself, anyway). His friend was beautiful. From the dark frame of his hair to his marble skin — he would’ve said porcelain, but Sasuke’s skin wasn’t as fragile, after enduring so many wounds, cuts and bruises, it was still flawlessly smooth. His ebony eyes were closed, long lashes following the same direction as his pointed nose, underneath which thin yet seemingly soft lips displayed the tell-tale sign of a hidden smile.</p><p>Yes, he was devastatingly gorgeous, so gorgeous Naruto had ended up questioning his own sexuality a couple of months before.</p><p>“What?” Sasuke asked flatly, cracking one eye open, and for a second Naruto was scared he’d said that out loud. “I can feel your stupid eyes on me.”</p><p>Naruto laughed nervously and shook his head, blurting out the first thing that came to his mind.</p><p>“I had fun today.”</p><p>Sasuke looked at him amusedly, and replied a slow, “Me too.”</p><p>“Really?!” he couldn’t hide the excitement in his voice, but he didn’t really care, “How come?”</p><p>Sasuke blushed and looked away, speaking in that <em>way too soft</em> volume that he only ever used when he was admitting something reluctantly, “You’re the only real friend I have, so…”</p><p>Naruto frowned.</p><p>“Hey, don’t say that, you’ve also got Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-chan!” he nearly yelled, and when Sasuke winced, he remembered to keep his voice at a normal volume. “She really cares about you, believe it.”</p><p>“Oh, I believe it,” Sasuke snorted somewhat contemptuously, rolling his eyes.</p><p>“Not just in that way, bastard,” Naruto’s voice became serious all of a sudden, “She cares. She’d still give a shit if she knew there was no way you’d like her. You should really appreciate her more!”</p><p>Sasuke sighed. “It’s not like I don’t appreciate her. She’s nice and skillful, she’ll make a great kunoichi when we’re older. I trust her.”</p><p>Naruto rolled his eyes. This was Sasuke’s typical behavior, but there wasn’t much he could do about it when he didn’t even understand the guy himself.</p><p>“Then why do say I’m your only friend?”</p><p>And Sasuke murmured again, too low for Naruto to hear him properly without inching further, until their faces were close and their hands, brushing — which definitely <em>did not</em> send a shiver up Naruto’s spine.</p><p>“It’s different,” he admitted slowly, like he was having a hard time forming sentences, “You’re easier to talk to-” Naruto was about to smile, but Sasuke’s next words sent him falling backwards with laughter. “-since you’re so dumb.”</p><p>“You’re <em>such</em> an asshole!” he yelled and hugged him aggressively, and Sasuke’s bewildered, completely awkward expression made up for the insult Naruto had received a few moments ago.</p><p>They spent a few more minutes like that, bickering half-heartedly, playfully punching each other and saying insults that, if either of them didn’t know better, almost sounded endearing. But as the sky outside went from fiery orange to soft lilac, Sasuke announced he’d be heading home. Naruto invited him to stay over, ever the charmer, but when Sasuke looked at him weirdly, he played it off as a joke.</p><p>And, as he silently watched Sasuke walking away from his home through the window, he had a very displeasing yet very true thought that still managed to stir the butterflies in his stomach.</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>‘I am so screwed.’</em>
</p><p> </p><p>- Sasuke thought as he tossed and turned in his bed that night. Echoes of Naruto’s voice inside his head filled the oppressive silence, which normally, Sasuke welcomed. He was fond of quietness, it was easier to concentrate without other sounds bothering him. But, in certain situations, silence and solitude only made it harder for him to ignore the riots inside his mind. This was one of those situations.</p><p>He didn’t know why he’d followed Naruto after the mission was done. Why he agreed to play videogames. He didn’t know why he called Naruto his only friend. And Sasuke hated not knowing things. Or perhaps, in this case, it wasn’t that he didn’t know but that he didn’t understand. In Sasuke’s book, not understanding was even worse than not knowing — when you simply don’t know, you have to search for the answer; when you don’t understand, the answer is already there, but you can’t see it properly.</p><p>He wished he didn’t know the nature of his feelings for Naruto, he wished he could let them all out and not have to deal with them every goddamn time the idiot smiled at him. He wished he could speak to his mother, like he did whenever he didn’t understand his brother or father’s behavior. He wished to fall asleep and give his mind and body the rest it so deeply craved for.</p><p>It was hard to roll out of bed the next morning. Unlike what many people believed, Sasuke was not a morning person — in fact, he noted in his mind with a roll of his eyes, <em>Naruto</em> was the morning person of the team. He enjoyed weekends because he could get up later than normal (around ten o’clock, maybe). But, <em>god</em>, half-past twelve? Actual midday? That was just wasting a perfectly fine morning — the sun was shining not too intensely and there was a soft breeze, beautiful weather.</p><p>He glanced at the mirror and winced at the dark circles under his eyes in the reflection. It was already time for lunch, so, even though he wasn’t hungry, he cooked a light meal and ate it in silence. Different thoughts invaded his mind, but all of them leaded to the same dead end.</p><p>He needed to talk to someone.</p><p>Sasuke had learned pretty soon after Naruto took him back to the village that sometimes, it was best to find an actual outlet to his emotions. Normally, when anger, hatred and revenge filled his heart, he’d train or spar with Naruto until he felt the negativity unload from his shoulders. But, he had a feeling that it wouldn’t help in the particular situation he was going through. Thus, the conclusion: he had to talk to someone. And he hated that he knew exactly who his only option was.</p><p>A few hours later — he figured barging in at lunchtime would be impolite — he set off. There was a warm glow, a lazy feeling in the streets. Unlike most of the time, when Konoha’s streets were packed and busy (and, Sasuke chuckled, as noisy as Naruto), the early afternoons in the weekends were the exception to the rule. A small miracle. One of Sasuke’s favorite parts of having stayed in the village were these small moments of sunshine, soft wind and tranquility, where he could wander and wonder by himself without disturbances.</p><p>He passed the playground next to the academy, glancing at the kids playing on the swings without a care in the world. He supposed it must be nice. He supposed — with the smallest, gentlest of smiles — he wasn’t the only one who enjoyed these particular hour of the afternoon in the village.</p><p>Sasuke stood in front of the house he'd been heading for. A tall woman with a blond fringe opened the door a few seconds after he knocked. She stared at him, startled, and Sasuke took her silence as his cue to speak.</p><p>“Hello, Haruno-san, sorry for the intrusion, I’m one of Sakura’s teammates,” he explained awkwardly. He’d only been to Naruto’s home, and he didn’t have to be <em>too polite</em> at his house, since there were no adults around. “I need to talk her about something, is she around?”</p><p>Sakura’s mother raised a brow at him, and turned to loudly call his daughter. The immediate response, coming equally loudly from some place inside the house, was:</p><p><em>“Naruto?! What does </em>he<em> want?!”</em></p><p>“Unless Naruto suddenly grew black hair, this isn’t him!”</p><p>“I’m-” he started, saying, but suddenly Sakura was at the door too.</p><p>“SASUKE-KUN?!”</p><p>“Hi, are you busy?”</p><p>Sakura shook her head enthusiastically and Sasuke had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. <em>Nice</em>, he needed to be <em>nice</em>.</p><p>“Well, can we go somewhere?”</p><p>After receiving permission from her mother — who eyed Sasuke carefully before agreeing, mind you — Sakura, with the brightest smile she’d had in a while, was gleefully strolling next to him. He did feel a little guilty, but he figured she would’ve figured it out eventually anyway, so maybe it was better to tell her now rather than in a few years — provided that, somehow, she still liked him in a few years, of course.</p><p>He kept his clammy hands inside his pockets, trying to ignore the curious glances she kept on giving him and quickly regretting having taken this course of action. Why did he think it would be a good idea to talk to <em>Sakura</em>, of all people?</p><p><em>‘It’s not like there’s anyone else you could talk to,’</em> said that annoying, honest voice everyone has in their heads. Sasuke ‘tsked’, trying to plan what he was going to say, painfully aware that his silence couldn’t last forever, not when Sakura was already next to him and they were reaching the place he’d chosen beforehand.</p><p>The benches near the training grounds were empty, as Sasuke expected them to be, since they always were at this time of the week where the whole village seemed to be asleep. He came to a halt at the best of the benches — a spot under a tree, with enough shadow to avoid roasting under the Sun, but clear enough to allow breeze to pass. He sat down tensely, Sakura sitting just far enough to give him personal space and still be able to listen to what he’d say without needing him to raise his voice, thankfully.</p><p>“So,” Sakura broke the silence, her feet dangling over the edge of the bench, “Why did you bring me here, Sasuke-kun?”</p><p>Sasuke sighed, not really knowing where to start. “I’m sorry.”</p><p>“What?” she turned to look at him in the eye.</p><p>“Whatever you’re imagining,” his gaze dropped to the floor nervously, the guilt eating at him from his insides, “You’re probably going to be disappointed.”</p><p>He didn’t want to look at her, he didn’t want to see the way he knew her face had fallen from a cheeky smile to a nervous frown.</p><p>“I don’t really know how to say this, this was probably a bad idea anyway, but I’m already here, so…” Why was he rambling so much? He hadn’t been so nervous when he told Naruto, and the situation with him was <em>quite</em> different. “Basically, I guess I,” he took one quick look at her eyes, which were still staring at him expectantly, “…like someone.”</p><p>He took a big breath, remorse eating his motivation to speak away.</p><p>“And it’s,” he hid his face in his hands, his elbows digging at his knees almost painfully.</p><p>“Sasuke-kun, are you…” Sakura shifted a little bit closer to him, but refrained from touching him, “Are you okay?”</p><p>“It’s not a girl. Who I like.”</p><p>His heart kept pounding against his ribs, screaming, begging for something, anything to make it slow down, and his hands were clammy and his legs felt numb and <em>he could not stop shaking-</em></p><p>“So, do you like… Naruto?”</p><p>He would’ve argued that just because he liked a boy it didn’t mean he liked his best friend, but since he didn’t really talk to any other guys, he supposed it was a fair (and true)  assumption; so, Sasuke nodded with eyes closed, even though he couldn’t see anything anyway with his hands over his face.</p><p>“<em>Why</em>.” She asked flatly.</p><p>“Wish I knew,” Sasuke mumbled weakly. She hadn’t yelled at him or called him a freak, which was a good sign, right?</p><p> “Huh,” Sakura chuckled emptily, “Well, I don’t hate you now, if that’s what <em>you</em> were hoping for.”</p><p>At <em>that</em>, Sasuke turned toward her.</p><p>“Do I look like I want you to hate me?” he snapped, not really angry, “Why would I even want you to hate me?”</p><p>“I don’t know, I didn’t really think before I said it, that was probably stupid of me,” she played with her fingers anxiously, and then looked at him, “Sasuke-kun, I mean it, I’m not angry. It’s okay.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“I mean, I’m not going to question your <em>taste in men</em> so-”</p><p>“SAKURA!”</p><p>“What?! How can you like that guy, he’s loud and obnoxious and-”</p><p>“-a good fucking person,” he finished for her, instantly regretting it when he saw her face.</p><p>“Boy, you’re <em>whipped</em>,” Sakura smirked at him, and Sasuke almost missed the way she acted when he hadn’t told her anything. “Why did you tell me, though?”</p><p>
  <em>      “</em>
  <em>She cares.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>      “She’d still give a shit if she knew there was no way you’d like her.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>      "You should really appreciate her more!”</em>
</p><p>“I don’t know, I guess I wanted to talk to someone about it, like…” he tried to find the right words, but couldn’t come up with anything fancier than, “like a <em>friend</em>.”</p><p>Sakura beamed, and any trace of guilt Sasuke was feeling quickly dissipated. Apparently, the dumbass was right again.</p><p>“Well, I’m glad you told me,” she said with honesty in her eyes, “And you don’t have to worry about me telling anyone. Not even Ino. I <em>promise</em>.”</p><p>Sasuke smiled at her too.</p><p>“Thank you, not just for not telling people... I’m happy you don’t hate me,” he admitted, and when Sakura’s face lit just a little too bright, he added, “Because that could affect the team’s balance and dynamics, <em>obviously</em>.”</p><p>“<em>Obviously</em>,” Sakura chuckled knowingly.</p><p>Stupid Naruto, encouraging him to do things that made him happy.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thank you for reading, i'll try to update as frequently as possible!! i hope you enjoyed this chapter :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>